In the West, where fresh water is taken for granted, we are beginning to see the possibility of our water reservoirs depleting. Some states in the USA are already noticing consequences of misusing freshwater, such as California, which hasn’t seen a regular rain for the last four consecutive years (Egan). Many California residents have taken measures to reduce their water consumption, but agriculture ceases to budge on water consumption used for monocropping, even after taking a $2 billion financial hit last year. On the other side of the world, India saw a “sharp decrease in groundwater levels” in 2016 (New York Times), an issue that will only be exacerbated in the coming years as the global average temperature rises.
As is known fact to ecological and climate scientists, climate change is a gigantic and imminent threat to human growth and development. In times of water scarcity in the past, humans have encountered dangerous conflict as industries slow or halt and people lose jobs and income, and turn to desperate measures to make ends meet. The problem of water scarcity, both economic and physical, is only becoming worse.
A preemptive approach would be to implement consequences for lack of responsible water use before a global-scale water crisis occurs. As some countries, like Saudi Arabia, have already seen their peak-water years, it may behoove countries with a large carbon footprint, like the USA, to prioritize freshwater use and consider penalizing irresponsible water consumption.